S$96.00

Maisto 1:18 Mercedes - Benz 500 K Typ Special-roadster (1936)[#36055]

Designed by Friedrich Geiger

In the mid-1930s, the 500K and then the 540K reigned atop the Mercedes-Benz car line, and their most fabulous iteration was the Special Roadster. Casting a shadow greater than a Ford Expedition and sitting astride a ten-inch-longer wheelbase--yet effectively seating only two people--the Special Roadster was both elegant and extravagant. The 500K's were beautiful, elegant, and exclusive models often outfitted with voluptuous coachwork and sold to wealthy clientele.

The Mercedes 500K (type W29) is a grand touring car built by Mercedes-Benz between 1934 and 1936. First exhibited at the 1934 Berlin Motor Show, it carried the factory designation W29. Distinguished from the 500 sedan by the "K" for Kompressor (German for supercharger) only fitted to these performance cars, it succeeded the Mercedes-Benz 380 introduced just the previous year. It offered both a larger, more powerful engine and more opulent coachwork to meet customers' demands for greater luxury and performance.

Today, the cars remain highly prized for their heritage and scarcity. When the car collection of Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone was auctioned in October 2007 it included five pre-war Mercedes, and his 500K Special Cabriolet fetched almost £700,000 (US$1.45 million).